We are seeking a talented individual to provide scientific & technical leadership in the structural biology of protein targets to enable rational design of small molecule ligands as well as elucidation of the mechanisms of action of endogenous & synthetic ligands & substrates. The ideal candidate will have previous hands-on experience in acquisition & analysis of structural data from X-ray crystallography, cryo-EM or other techniques. The successful candidate will report to the head of Biology Technologies and will partner with colleagues in biology, chemistry and external collaborators to advance a diverse portfolio of targets.

Responsibilities

• Develop & implement reagent plans, including construct design and optimization of protein expression & purification, to enable production of high-quality samples for structural studies
• In collaboration with external consultants & CROs, develop strategies for applying X-ray crystallography, cryo-EM or other techniques to determining the 3D structures of proteins as well as protein-protein & protein-ligand complexes
• Apply computational modeling & molecular dynamics simulation approaches to predict protein-protein interactions & protein-ligand interactions
• Collaborate closely with computational chemists & medicinal chemists to develop & refine ligand-docking models that can be used to formulate & prioritize structure-based drug design strategies to deliver optimized lead compounds
• Maintain current knowledge of advances in structural biology techniques and contribute to the identification, evaluation & implementation of new enabling technologies and methodologies
• Document accurate records of experimental procedures, results, data analysis & interpretation and present findings to project teams and research leadership

Our employees come from different backgrounds, and we celebrate those differences. We are looking for the best candidates for our open roles, but do not expect applicants to meet every qualification in order to be considered. If you are excited about what you could accomplish at Cytokinetics and believe you can add value to our team, we would love to hear from you.

Qualifications

• PhD in structural biology or protein biochemistry or a related scientific discipline with 5 years of post-doctoral drug discovery experience in the pharmaceutical / biotechnology industry
• Hands-on experience and expertise in
  • Designing gene constructs for soluble & membrane proteins
  • Expressing & purifying recombinant proteins to yield correctly-folded, well-behaved material that enables structural studies
  • Determining protein quality through assessment of purity, stability & aggregation
  • Acquiring, analyzing & interpreting X-ray diffraction data &/or cryo-EM images
• Experience in managing projects and coordinating cross-functional activities in support of project advancement
• Strong track record of solving 3D structures of proteins as well as protein-protein & protein-ligand complexes using X-ray crystallography &/or cryo-EM
• Well-versed in experimental design with strong analytical skills and the ability to interpret complex structural data
• Proficient in computational modeling & chemistry software packages to accelerate rational, structure-based drug design and to explain mechanisms of action of novel compounds
• Well-organized with excellent communication skills and the ability to collaborate effectively with colleagues in biology and chemistry to impact multiple drug discovery projects in a fast-paced and rapidly-evolving team environment

Our passion is anchored in robust scientific thinking, grounded in integrity and critical thinking. We keep the patient front and center in all we do – all actions and decisions are in service of the patient and their caregivers. We champion integrity, ethics, doing the right thing, and being our best selves.

Please visit our website at: www.cytokinetics.com

Cytokinetics is an Equal Opportunity Employer